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Sunday, February 24, 2013

Pass It On: Pink Shirt

Alternate title: A Commentary on Commenting

I hope you enjoyed the Polka Dot Party on Thursday. Let me set the record straight: the post was a joke. I was relieved to see that most of you caught on to this and that some of you got a kick from it. I especially crack up every time I see the socks over the tights.

However, I would never wear that outfit in public (unless maybe it were Halloween). I posted those photos for several reasons. First, it is good to let loose and be silly every now and then. My favorite philosopher - Ludwig Wittgenstein - once said,"If people never did silly things nothing intelligent would ever get done." I wholeheartedly support this sentiment.

The second reason for posting those silly photos was simply a case of me being passive-aggressive. I grew weary of visiting others' blogs and seeing comments like:

"I LOVE your sweater"

"omg your outfit is so cute"

"I am obsessed with cashmere"

So my post was a reply to the people who leave these sorts of comments. I'm really curious, though. Do people feel the need to comment just for the sake of commenting? Do they comment to leave a footprint (URL) to get others to visit their blog? Do people feel better about lying than leaving criticism (or saying nothing at all)? Surely it is easier to lie on the internet... but what's the point?

Here's my take on commenting, and I'd love to know what you think. Above all, be honest when you comment. If you don't like something, there's no need to be rude about it. Likewise, if you do like something, there's no need to be excessively nice. If you like someone's shirt, say, "I like your shirt." Don't say, "I love your shirt!" To put it simply, say what you mean, and mean what you say.

Also, if someone asks for your opinion, be honest. You may be the type that won't leave a rude comment, but if someone asks you for your opinion, that is the best time to! Someone is requesting your advice. If her top and skirt just don't match, then tell her. "I wouldn't wear that top and skirt together." "I would style those two differently... " and so on.

So, let me hear it! Comment away! Tell me about your thoughts on commenting. Tell me about your thoughts on my outfit. Tell me anything you want. ... Just be honest. I can handle it, I promise. {Yes, this shirt is slightly too long for me; it's a Tall, which I am not. I am, however, a girl who likes $8 shirts.}

13 comments:

Ooh, you are sneaky! I love that you did the experiment to see if people actually got your polka post as a joke or if they just comment for the sake of commenting. We do this a lot on our blog by asking questions. You can tell the people who actually read the posts or just look at the pictures.

After blogging for almost two years, you come to build your relationships with the readers who actually care what you write about. The others are just passerbys. One of my biggest pet peeves are the people who say "Follow me, I'll follow you" Those people don't even get a response at all.

Truth time - commenting is super awkward sometimes. I try to comment frequently on the blogs that I read and enjoy, because I like it when I get comments, and I think it is important for us to encourage each other, etc. Sometimes I do feel ridiculous, because I comment things like "I love your shirt!" Honestly, if I knew you in person, and you wore an awesome shirt, I would say that in person. Somehow, this doesn't translate well to blog comments and I usually feel like it comes across as fake.

If I don't like an outfit, I usually won't say anything about it, unless the blogger specifically asks for an opinion.

Other awkward part - I feel like I should reply to people who leave comments, because that seems to be blogger etiquette, but I have a hard time replying to the "Cute shirt" comments. I always think "thanks, I think it is cute too - that's why I am wearing it!"

I'm glad that almost everyone caught on to that joke. I mean, I love polka dots but that may have been a bit excessive!

As far as comments go, it really depends on what is going on in the post. If someone only posts about what they wore and say nothing else, what else is there to say than "hey, i like the way you wore that shirt with those pants" but I think the key to having a blog where people leave legit comments is where you actually talk about something. If you give the reader an opportunity to share about themselves, they are more likely to say something other than "hey..nice shirt". of course sometimes I just like someones shirt a lot so I'll say that, but NEVER EVER EVER do I say "hey if you follow me I'll follow you" that's cheap and gross.

Such interesting thoughts! I've been thinking about that a lot. I try to say more than just a simple, "Cute [fill-in-the-blank]" statement. I know I'm always honest in my comments, but will often not comment at all if I don't like an outfit (unless they ask for suggestions). I really love when bloggers talk about something other than their clothes (like inserting pieces of their personal life) in their posts, so I feel like I get to know them. That way, comments feel more like a conversation/exchange, rather than a trite "OMG I LOVE UR OUTFIT" or "follow me xoxo" comment.

Honestly, it irritates me that if on the rare occasion that I talk about something somewhat deep or personal in an entry, or that I talk about something that really warrants a specific response, and half the comments are just like "OMG CUTE TOP. LOVE IT." It's like... okay, so did you really love the top so much that even after reading my words, all you had to say in response was something about my top? Like, yes, my blog is primarily about style, but I mean, I don't just type up words for the sake of filling up the page. CONTENT IS THERE FOR YOU TO RESPOND TO. I'm not saying that I ALWAYS read through someone's whole entry and respond with a generous comment, but I won't EVER skip past your words just to leave a silly little comment! I mean jeez, I remember reading someone's personal and touching post about losing a grandparent, and they typed about it under an outfit photo, and it was just so obvious in the comments who had actually read the post and who had not. You know what I mean?

I definitely won't comment if I actually have nothing to say. And I definitely will not ever leave a comment with the question "Come check out my blog and be my newest follower?". Such garbage. Why did you start a blog? To gain a certain number of followers? So lame to me. But anyway. This comment is so long. I will shut up now.

Here's my take on commenting, if I'm not a fan, I won't comment. I do feel like it's blogger etiquette to shop by a persons blog if the stop by mine, but if I can't find anything positive I won't make something up. I also do have a habit of saying someone looks cute, but it's because they do, and I'd actually say that in real life. I'm with Lynette, I hate when people leave lame comments like cute shirt when the content is serious. In those situations I usually comment on the serious and don't even mention the clothes.Ginnymynewfavoriteoutfit.blogspot.com

I agree with this lengthy post and everyone's responses. And I just caught up on your blog and saw the funny & adorable Polka Dot Outfit. I loved the tights & two tops though wouldn't wear them together.

I very rarely during an OOTD Post talk only about my outfit. Usually one paragraph is dedicated to the outfit, however I will write something about my day, my week, a new experience, etc. etc. I can tell from the comments who has read it and who hasn't. I always read every single post where I leave a comment. Sometimes I skim through an OOTD Post. Yes I may like the outfit but I would feel dumb to comment on it since I haven't read that post. And I agree constructive criticism is good & healthy.

By the way, would you like to Guest Post for me? Let me know by leaving me a comment as a response to my question. I would love to have your Smarty Pants self on my blog. =)

Okay, and I really don't like comments that have no substance. I feel bad for being mean about it because the commenter has taken their time out to come to my blog to copy and paste their generic "love your blog follow back please" comment and blog link in my comments. Even comments that are like, "nice shirt!" are kind of annoying because I do like to respond to comments, and how many different ways can I respond to a comment other than "thanks" or "thanks :)" or "thank you!" or "thank you :)" YOU KNOW? I get tired of it. But hey, sometimes I like somebody's shirt, and I have nothing to say in response to their blog post except for, "I like your shirt" so I've definitely left comments like that before, but I try to avoid leaving a comment just to leave a comment.

As for your outfit, I don't think the shirt is too long, I like longer shirts because they make tucking in so much easier! and I love the way you tied your scarf. BUT SINCE YOU ARE ASKING FOR HONEST FEEDBACK, I'd probably add a belt. I read somewhere once (oh, you know what forum I'm talking about, I saw your comment on Franish's vlog post) that this person was saying how awkward it looked when girls would tuck in their shirts to their pants and not wear a belt. Ever since then, I can't help but think that it does indeed look awkward, though it might just be personal opinion or influenced by someone else's personal opinion :)